How do Gmail tabs affect political and advocacy emails, and what are potential solutions?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 6 May 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
8 min read
When Google introduced Gmail tabs, the idea was to help users better organize their inboxes. Emails were automatically sorted into categories like Primary, Social, and Promotions. While this seemed like a beneficial feature for many, especially for managing marketing emails, it created a significant challenge for political and advocacy organizations. Their crucial messages, intended for immediate attention, often found themselves relegated to the Promotions tab, buried among retail offers and newsletters.
The impact was stark, particularly for those whose campaigns relied on timely engagement. Unlike transactional emails or one-on-one communications, political and advocacy emails often carry urgent calls to action, whether it's encouraging voter registration, advocating for policy changes, or raising awareness about critical social issues. When these messages are filtered away from the main inbox, their visibility and effectiveness plummet.
This situation has led to considerable debate and frustration within the political and non-profit sectors. Understanding how Gmail's algorithms categorize these emails, and what steps can be taken to improve inbox placement, is essential for maintaining effective communication with supporters and constituents.
Understanding the problem: why political emails go to promotions
The core of the issue lies in Gmail's classification algorithms. While Gmail states the Promotions tab is for "deals, offers, newsletters and other call to action emails," many political and advocacy messages, despite lacking commercial intent, get lumped into this category. This is because these algorithms primarily analyze email content and sender behavior, often flagging bulk emails with multiple links, images, or strong calls to action as promotional, regardless of their subject matter. Research from organizations like The Markup has highlighted how political campaign emails often end up outside the primary inbox.
This automatic sorting mechanism can significantly hinder email campaigns. Even with high subscriber engagement, a substantial portion of the audience may never see the email if it lands in a less frequently checked tab. The perceived open rates may drop, and the impact of time-sensitive calls to action, such as signing a petition or donating to a cause, is diminished. For those wondering, the impact of Gmail's tabs on deliverability can be quite substantial.
Political organizations and advocacy groups often do not have the resources or technical expertise that large commercial entities might have to navigate these complex deliverability challenges. This creates an uneven playing field, where important public discourse can be inadvertently suppressed simply due to algorithmic sorting.
The Challenge
Algorithmic Bias: Gmail's algorithms often classify advocacy emails as promotional due to their bulk nature or content characteristics, irrespective of their non-commercial intent.
Reduced Visibility: Emails in the Promotions tab have lower open rates and engagement compared to those in the Primary inbox, impacting critical campaigns.
Resource Constraints: Many political and non-profit groups lack the expertise to optimize for inbox placement, unlike large commercial senders.
Google's response: the political email pilot program
In response to these concerns, particularly from political campaigns, Google has attempted to address the issue. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved a request from Google for a pilot program designed to prevent legitimate political campaign emails from being sent to spam folders in Gmail. This program aims to allow political emails to bypass certain spam filters, although it sparked debate about potential preferential treatment and the user experience. You can read more about Google's pilot program for political emails to understand its full scope.
While this pilot program is a step towards mitigating the problem, it doesn't solve the fundamental issue of algorithmic sorting for all advocacy emails, especially those from non-political non-profits. The challenge remains for organizations that fall outside the narrow definition of "political" campaigns but still send high-stakes, non-commercial bulk messages. They still need strategies to influence tab placement.
The debate also raises questions about the power of tech companies over information dissemination, particularly concerning free speech and democratic processes. Balancing user experience with the need for crucial messages to reach their intended audience remains a complex issue for email providers.
Practical solutions for senders
For political and advocacy senders, a multi-faceted approach is necessary to improve inbox placement. One key area is content optimization. While it might seem counterintuitive for non-commercial emails, adopting certain practices can signal to Gmail's algorithms that your content is less "promotional". This doesn't mean changing your core message, but rather how it's presented.
Focus on personalizing your messages, using a clear sender name, and crafting compelling subject lines that encourage opens without sounding overly salesy. Minimize excessive images, large fonts, and an abundance of links, as these can trigger promotional filters. Remember, the goal is to create an email experience that feels like a direct communication, not a mass advertisement. You can also review how to influence which tab your email goes to in Gmail.
Beyond content, strong email authentication is paramount. Ensuring your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured signals legitimacy to Gmail and other mailbox providers, improving your overall sender reputation. A robust sender reputation (and avoiding a sender blacklist or blocklist) is a foundational element for better deliverability, regardless of tab placement. Even if your emails are political, it's still possible for them to go to spam, as outlined in our guide Why your emails are going to spam.
Content optimization
Personalization: Use recipient names and segment lists to send relevant content.
Clear subject lines: Avoid clickbait phrases. Be direct and concise.
Minimal formatting: Limit images, large fonts, and excessive links that scream "promotion".
Technical setup
SPF, DKIM, DMARC: Ensure all email authentication records are correctly implemented and monitored.
Encourage interaction: Prompt subscribers to reply, move emails to primary, or add your address to contacts.
Clear opt-in: Ensure recipients explicitly opt-in and understand what kind of emails they will receive.
Monitor engagement: Track open rates and clicks specifically for Gmail users to identify trends.
Educating your audience and advocating for change
Beyond technical adjustments, educating your audience is a powerful, yet often overlooked, strategy. Many Gmail users are unaware of how the tabs work or how they can customize their inbox settings. Including a small note in your welcome email, or occasionally reminding subscribers, can empower them to take action if they wish to see your emails in their Primary tab. This can involve explaining how to drag and drop emails or add your sender address to their contacts list.
While it is not possible to directly control Gmail's algorithms, fostering strong subscriber engagement signals to Google that your emails are valued. High open rates, clicks, and replies, coupled with low spam complaint rates, contribute positively to your sender reputation and can influence tab placement over time. Conversely, a lack of engagement or high complaint rates can lead to worse placement, even on a public blocklist (or blacklist).
Finally, advocating for broader changes within email service providers is crucial. The ongoing dialogue with Google and similar entities about the specific needs of political and advocacy communications can lead to more nuanced filtering approaches in the future. As an email security and deliverability expert, I've seen firsthand how challenging this can be, and it often requires collective effort from the industry.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Actively encourage subscribers to drag your emails from Promotions to Primary. Provide clear, simple instructions in your welcome email or on your website.
Use clear, concise subject lines that avoid overly promotional language or excessive punctuation.
Common pitfalls
Relying solely on high-volume sending without focusing on engagement, which can lead to worse tab placement over time.
Using overly commercial or spammy language, images, or formatting, which triggers Gmail's promotional filters.
Expert tips
Consider A/B testing different content layouts and subject lines to see what performs best in Gmail's primary tab.
Engage in conversations about email deliverability within relevant industry groups to share insights and best practices.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that if you examine the original marketing for Gmail tabs and Google's explanations, the Promotions tab was specifically built for "deals and offers." Political emails, which lack this commercial intent, are often miscategorized.
2020-07-02 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that many bulk, non-transactional emails appear to be promotional regardless of their content, which seems like a textbook promotional classification.
2020-07-02 - Email Geeks
Improving deliverability for advocacy
Navigating Gmail's tabbed inbox system is a continuous challenge for political and advocacy organizations. While Google's pilot program for political campaigns offers some relief, the broader issue of non-commercial bulk emails being filtered to the Promotions tab persists. This impacts the reach and effectiveness of crucial messages intended to inform, engage, and mobilize supporters.
For senders, the path forward involves a combination of smart content strategies, impeccable technical hygiene, and active subscriber education. By optimizing email content to appear less promotional, ensuring robust authentication, and guiding users on how to manage their inboxes, organizations can significantly improve their chances of landing in the Primary tab. Remember that understanding why email campaigns are filtered can help you adapt.
Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that legitimate, important communications reach their intended audience without undue algorithmic interference. This requires ongoing adaptation from senders and continued dialogue with email providers to foster an ecosystem that supports both user preferences and the vital exchange of information.
